Hours after former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik joined the BJP, the saffron party named them as candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypoll to be held in West Bengal. The decision was taken by the Central Election Committee of the BJP on Thursday.Earlier, in a major setback to Mamata Banerjee, the former TMC leaders formally joined the BJP in Kolkata. All the three leaders had resigned from the Trinamool Congress.The joining of the three leaders comes ahead of the Rajya Sabha byelections for three seats that fell vacant after their resignation from the Upper House.The leaders joined the saffron party in the presence of West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and other senior leaders at the party office.Earlier in the day, Sushmita Dev called the BJP a “national party” and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dev said it was under his (Modi’s) dynamic leadership that the party registered massive majority in Assam, Odisha and Tripura. “These results only showed that Modi’s vision is growing, not diminishing,” she added .Talking about her role in the party, the once close aide of Mamata Banerjee said, “The BJP high command will decide on Rajya Sabha seats. I have joined the party not with the expectation of a Rajya Sabha berth, but as an outgoing MP from West Bengal.”Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said he was waiting for the right time to change his political stand. Regretting to be a TMC member, Ray said he was “associated with a party of hoodlums” and had become convinced that he should no longer continue with the TMC.Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the TMC leader Saugata Roy said the three leaders joining the saffron party would neither not harm the TMC nor benefit the BJP. “Turncoats hold no real significance,” Roy said.Another party leader Dola Sen said that their joining the BJP would not make any difference. “Now, the public would respond to them. Let them do as they please; this is a democratic country. Let those who wish to betray, do so — it could be due to fear or greed; I don’t know, and I don’t wish to comment on it. But the common people will give the answer,” she added.